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Prison Reforms : What We Do

Poor public defense and under-utilization of non-custodial measures add to the growing malaise of unnecessary or prolonged detention. Lack of inspections and sketchy implementation of oversight mechanisms turn prisons into frightening wrecks with shoddy living conditions. This rot in the criminal justice system impacts the psychological condition of prisoners making them more vulnerable than before to criminal propensities. They get out of prison ruined and not reformed.

We believe that a person behind bars is not beyond justice. Hence, we aim to bridge the gap that the system suffers from. We ensure that the legal safeguards reach out to the last person in the queue – the prisoner – by increasing transparency of a traditionally closed system and holding the stakeholders accountable for the gaps. We continue to stress on oversight of prison conditions, enhancement of legal aid practices, reform of prison management and foster an attitude of cooperation between the various agencies of the criminal justice system namely, judiciary, lawyers, probation officers, prison administration and police. From time to time, we use the right to information as a tool to open up the prison and various other agencies of criminal justice system. We seek to achieve our goals through research, legal analysis and advice, advocacy, capacity building and network building.